Bryan County will hold a public input forum for north-end residents, giving those who are interested the opportunity to help shape the county’s new zoning and development regulations, which will be consolidated into a unified development ordinance (UDO). 

The workshop, slated for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, will be held at Hendrix Park Gymnasium, 3960 Wilma Edwards Road in Ellabell. Residents’ guidance is sought as the county updates its regulations relating to subdivisions, site development, land use, parking, landscaping and other related matters.  A similar workshop will be held in South Bryan County in late April.  Date, time, and location will be announced in the near future.

The existing codes were last amended in the 1990s, and Bryan County has experienced significant change since then. In 2018, the County adopted an interim development ordinance (IDO) to temporarily address some of the codes’ most significant shortcomings. 

These facilitated workshops will provide residents with opportunities to learn about existing regulations, discuss alternative ways to address the county’s growth, and express their concerns and opinions, according to Bryan County consultant, Michael Lauer, and the County’s Community Development staff.  Key growth challenges identified in the county’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan priorities are:

Preserving our natural heritage while providing for quality growth by creating higher standards for all types of development;

Continuing our commitment to sustaining a family-friendly community through exceptional educational opportunities;

Continuing economic development through job creation and attracting wealth building enterprises; and

Increasing recreational options and affordable housing.

The March 28 forum will include an overview of the UDO process and illustrations of some of the key challenges related to each of the above priorities.  Lauer will facilitate discussions of these issues and provide the opportunity for residents to ask questions, make suggestions and identify other concerns not addressed in the presentation.

Following the initial workshop, a second workshop will be held in south Bryan County and the results from both workshops will be used to shape an initial draft of the UDO.  Two more sets of community workshops will be scheduled to focus on more specific code issues before the county begins the adoption process next fall.  For more information on the forums, call Amanda Clement at (912) 756-3177 or email [email protected].